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A defence minister has confirmed there is no plan to move the Red Arrows from RAF Scampton to an airfield in Yorkshire.

The Sheffield Star reported that it understood RAF Scampton could be closed temporarily or permanently in the coming years and said the Reds could be relocated to the airport in Finningley as a result.

The RAF has previously told Lincolnshire Live that the claims are simply 'speculation'.

And now Tobias Ellwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Seretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans, has said: "There is no plan to move the Red Arrows base from RAF Scampton to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

"As part of a wider rationalisation programme within the Ministry of Defence, numerous basing options are often discussed and explored.

"These discussions examine many possible options in order to deliver efficient operational outputs and to achieve value for money for the taxpayer."

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Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh said he was delighted by the reassurance.

He said: "I am very pleased that the minister has provided the assurance I was seeking, on behalf of local residents.

"The Red Arrows are an important part of Lincolnshire, which has a tremendous aviation heritage.

"To lose them would be a tremendous blow both to the local economy and local sentiment. They play an important role locally that really puts our corner of Lincolnshire on the map. I am very pleased they are here to stay.”

MPs are warning that the Red Arrows could soon be flying jets built overseas.

In response to BAE Systems' plan to axe about 2,000 jobs, 142 MPs have signed a letter to the Prime Minister demanding the renewal of the Reds' fleet of Hawk jets.

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But a senior RAF source at The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that no new Hawk jets - the aircraft used by the Red Arrows - are needed for the next 13 years.

He said: "The RAF has a fleet of 75 Hawk T1s. The Red Arrows use aircraft from this fleet and if there is a requirement to replace an aircraft, another is allocated from the fleet.

"Sadly the letter has a number of inaccuracies. The aircraft are not struggling in any shape or form with mechanical failures, as demonstrated in the recent global tour.

"The Red Arrows have only performed once this year with reduced numbers, and this was due to a partner of one of the pilots having a baby, not a mechanical issue.

"We have sufficient assets and the fleet can do what we need it to do through to 2030.

"It would not be sound financial or operational management to use taxpayers' money to purchase something that there is no requirement for."

Red Arrows at home at Scampton Airshow 2017

In June 2012, the Government announced it had axed a plan to move the Red Arrows to RAF Waddington. Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey confirmed the team would remain at Scampton until at least the end of 2020.

The runway at Scampton was extended to 10,000ft in 1956 and the A15 was re-routed around it.

This is represented in the station's bow and arrow badge. The bowstring depicts Ermine Street bent around the lengthened runway and the arrow appears as the runway itself.